I’m wearing my Geek Badge proudly as I confess to you: I love packing my kids’ backpacks for the first day of school. The shiny folders. The unmarred notebooks. The textbooks just begging to be cracked open. And the spotless pencil box, filled with perfectly sharpened pencils, a clean glue stick, and every single one of the 24 crayons boxed in perfect order. 

It doesn’t take long the backpack scene to descend into chaos, but on that first day, I am confident that my children have everything they need. 

I love this new-pencil feeling because it feels good to have what you need. To have the confidence that no matter what you face, you are prepared.

If only I had this confidence every day. Instead, I look at my to-do list or my calendar, and I wonder, Do I have what it takes? Do I have what I need to get through this? 

Maybe you’re wondering, too. What are you facing this week? What do you need? Strength? Hope? Courage? Peace? Wisdom? Someone to help you? 

Philippians 4:19 promises we always have what we need: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Our Heavenly Father gives us strength. He is the source of our hope. His eternal victory gives us courage. Because we have peace with Him, we can have peace with others and peace in tough circumstances. He promises wisdom when we ask for it. The Maker of Heaven and Earth is our helper. 

This month we’re going to study God’s provision. We’ll see that He has everything we need, and we can trust Him to care for us. There is no need you have that God cannot meet. He has all the supplies needed for your salvation, for every day of your life, and for your eternity. 

No matter what you face this week, you can have confidence that God will supply everything you need. 

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I’ve had some stressful driving experiences, but nothing comes close to the time I was lost in Brooklyn, New York, during rush hour on a Friday afternoon. I took the exit into Brooklyn and needed to cross several lanes in a short distance to make a left turn and stay on my predetermined route. (This was in ancient times, before GPS and phones with map apps!) 

But it was New York, not Arkansas. Not even the driver with a front license plate identifying him as a priest would let me pull in front of him. I didn’t make it to the left turn lane, and I was lost. My surroundings terrified me, and I didn’t know how to find my way to safety. All I had was a paper map, panicked tears, and desperate prayers. 

Sometimes life feels similar to those jam-packed streets of Brooklyn. We’re confused and overwhelmed as we struggle to find our way . But Psalm 46 tells us we have a refuge in times of fear: 

“‘Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!’ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” (v. 10-11)

When I hear the words “be still,” I’m reminded of the relief that washed over me as I parked in front of my friend’s Brooklyn apartment. Her knowledge of the city protected me from panic and fear as I blissfully followed her around the city for the weekend. Her presence was a refuge in an environment that felt scary when I was alone. 

When life feels chaotic and confusing, I can be still. I know the One who knows all things. He is God—I am not. He is with us, and He is our fortress. He will show us the way.

No matter what you face this week, you can be still and trust the One who knows the way. 

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On November 11, 1918, representatives of France, Germany, and Great Britain met in a railroad station in France to sign an armistice agreement and end the fighting in “the war to end all wars.” They signed the agreement at 5:00 a.m. with the stipulation that the fighting would end six hours later – at 11:00 a.m.. 

I wonder why they didn’t stop fighting immediately. I suppose in those days, it took time for word to spread throughout the Western Front. At 5:00 a.m., everyone knew Germany had been defeated by the Allies and celebrations started around the world. But for the soldiers in the field, the war wasn’t over. There were thousands of casualties that day as the fighting continued. 

We are living in a time similar to those six hours in 1918. When Jesus walked out of the grave, God declared victory over sin, evil, and death. Satan knows he’s been defeated, but he’s not ready to stop fighting. We’re caught in the crossfire—living in the tension between the “already” and the “not yet” of God’s victory. 

We say, “Where, O death, is your sting?” but still weep at the graveside of someone we love. We read that the power of sin over us has been broken, and yet we confess with the apostle Paul that we keep on sinning (Romans 7:15-8:2).  

Jesus knew we would suffer as the battle continues to rage, and so He told His disciples: 

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

We have peace because our hope isn’t in our own power to triumph. We trust in the One who has already conquered. Through our trials and our struggles, we can have confidence in this: God wins. 

Take heart, friends. No matter what you face this week, Christ has overcome the world. 

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